Announcements

Seymour W. James, Jr. of Brooklyn, a 38-year veteran of The Legal Aid Society of New York, assumes office on June 1 as the 115th president of the New York State Bar Association.
Mr. James succeeds Vincent E. Doyle III as head of the 77,000-member association. Mr. James becomes its third African-American president and first president to come...

The Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA) has named the Legal Department of DHL its 2012 Employer of Choice Award winner for the South/Southwest Region. DHL was selected from law department applicants of corporations across the Southern/Southwest United States for demonstrating a commitment to diversity and creating and maintaining an...

The Minority Corporate Counsel Association, Inc. (MCCA) announces the election of Simone Wu of Choice Hotels International, Inc. as chair-elect of its board of directors. She has served on the MCCA Board since February 2007 and will replace the current chair, Mary Snapp of Microsoft Corporation, in 2013. Ms. Snapp is the corporate vice...

Leaders from The Voice of the Defense Bar (DRI) attended the American Civil Trial Bar Roundtable, held in Washington DC. This invitation-only roundtable hosted a panel of outstanding lawyers and judges who updated attendees on important legislation affecting the civil justice system, provided organization reports and considered resolutions...

American Bar Association president William T. (Bill) Robinson III has submitted written testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations Subcommittee, highlighting the importance of fiscal year 2013 funding for rule of law assistance.
In the statement, President Robinson wrote, “...

The New York City Bar Association participated in the 2012 ABA Lobby Day in Washington, DC. City Bar representatives met with the New York Congressional delegation, as well as with representatives of senators Schumer and Gillibrand.
The City Bar expressed support for funding of the Legal Services Corporation at $402 million for Fiscal Year 2013...

The American Law Institute and the American Bar Association announced in April that they have agreed to end their joint arrangement to provide education for the legal profession via ALI-ABA Continuing Professional Education. This change will increase flexibility as each organization continues to offer legal education programs that help lawyers...

The New York Intellectual Property Law Association hosted its 90th Annual Dinner in Honor of the Federal Judiciary on March 23, 2012, at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, New York City. It was a rousing success with over 2,600 judges, attorneys and engineers in attendance.
The keynote speaker was the Honorable Colleen McMahon, district judge of the...

Lawyers Alliance for New York has launched a Community Arts initiative to devote more of its resources to legal and educational services to organizations whose arts programs serve low-income New Yorkers. Nonprofit organizations that bring visual, musical, cultural and performing arts to low-income communities are strengthening these communities...

DuPont and chair of the board and chief executive officer Ellen Kullman have been selected by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law to receive the 13th Annual A. Leon Higginbotham Corporate Leadership Award for exemplary leadership in advancing diversity in the workplace and fostering economic opportunity. The gala black-tie...

At the New York County Lawyers’ Association’s (NYCLA) Annual Meeting on Thursday, May 24, its Task Force on Judicial Budget Cuts will present Unsung Heroes Awards to honor non‐judicial members of the state and federal court systems who have distinguished themselves in the exemplary performance of their duties during these difficult...

The Texas Access to Justice Commission and Texas Access to Justice Foundation honored Senator José Rodríguez with the Texas Access to Justice Legislative Hero Award for his contributions to improving access to justice in Texas during a special presentation in El Paso on April 4. Texas Supreme Court Justice Nathan L....

On March 28 through March 31, the Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) and its affiliate, the Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey (HBA-NJ), presented the 3rd Annual Midyear Corporate Counsel Conference in Jersey City, New Jersey.
“The HNBA’s 2012 Midyear Conference was a landmark event that exceeded all of our already...

The Harris County judiciary, in conjunction with the Houston Bar Association, presented the fourth annual Harris County Bench Bar Pro Bono Awards to law firms, a corporate legal department and an individual in a ceremony on April 30 at the Harris County Civil Courthouse.
The...

In May, more than 300 leaders from the legal, financial, and nonprofit sectors gathered at Gotham Hall in Manhattan for Lawyers Alliance’s Business Law & Leadership Gala. The annual event celebrated the partnership between lawyers and nonprofits and their power to transform New York City communities.
This year’s distinguished...

The New Jersey Association for Justice Educational Foundation has established a scholarship fund to help children of victims of the September 11 attacks attend Rutgers University School of Law in Newark or Camden.
“The creation of this scholarship fund is part of our ongoing effort as attorneys to help the victims of the tragedy of...

On Wednesday, April 18, Jones Day will join the ABA Section of International Law to offer a free day of programming for corporate counsel.
The 2012 International Corporate Counsel Day will be held at the Grand Hyatt New York, Park Avenue/Grand Central, at 109 East 42nd Street in New York. A lunch with keynote speaker Cyrus Amir-Mokri, assistant...

The Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA) has named the law department of H.J. Heinz Company as its 2012 Employer of Choice Award winner for the Mid-Atlantic Region. Heinz was selected from law department applicants of corporations across the Mid-Atlantic for demonstrating a commitment to diversity and creating and maintaining an...

QuisLex, a premier legal process outsourcing services provider, announced today that it has added a new 25,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art execution center Hyderabad, India.
QuisLex, Inc., ranked by Chambers and Partners as a Band 1 Legal Process Outsourcing services provider, today announced the opening of its new execution center in...

The University of Houston Law Center today announced the establishment of the Center for U.S. and Mexican Law, which is the first independent research center in the United States dedicated to the study of Mexican law and legal aspects of U.S. – Mexico relations.
Houston’s position as a gateway between the two countries...

The Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) announced today key initiatives of its newly adopted Strategic Plan. The fiscal year 2013-2018 plan charts the direction for ACC’s growth and continued success over the next five years and will serve as the blueprint for achieving ACC’s mission and solidifying its vision. Through clearly...

The DRI Executive Committee and Board of Directors announced a new program that offers free seminar attendance to claims executives. The program is similar to the successful free tuition plan for corporate counsel, and it is designed to increase the presence of claims executives at DRI events. The following paragraphs outline the operation of the...

The New York County Lawyers’ Association (NYCLA) has announced it is seeking nominations of distinguished non-judicial personnel from the New York State courts in Manhattan and distinguished non-judicial personnel from the Federal District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, who personify a commitment of service to...

An American Bar Association project has been selected to administer a $270,000 grant to support state panels that promote access to civil justice for low-income and disadvantaged people.
Under the 18-month grant from the Public Welfare Foundation to the ABA Resource Center for Access to Justice Initiatives, more than half of the funds will go...

The Supreme Court of Florida heard an oral argument regarding e-discovery rule amendments that were proposed on October 13,2011 by the Florida Defense Lawyers Association (FDLA) and Lawyers for Civil Justice (LCJ).
FDLA and LCJ submitted these proposed amendments in an official comment that detailed necessary changes to Rules 1.280 and 1.380 of...